Natalie Merchant to play the State Theatre

“I feel like I command the ship,’’ says singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant. With a laugh, she adds, “But it comes after a lot of time spent swabbing the deck.’’

Merchant has reason to both laugh and reflect on her career. Last October she turned 50, and she recently released “Natalie Merchant,’’ her first album of new all-original material in 13 years.

“When I was young, I had a hard time imagining 50,’’ she says. “But it’s a great place to be.’’

Since the May release of her new album, Merchant is performing concerts with a small ensemble that includes a string quintet. One of those dates will be thisTuesday, July 8, at the State Theatre in New Brunswick.

“I love the subtlety of playing with strings,’’ says Merchant. “The songs always begin with me at the piano. A small ensemble brings the songs closer to the way they were originally written.’’

Merchant says her newest songs are an accurate reflection of where she is at this point in her life.

“There are two parts to this album,’’ she says. “Some songs are interior pieces, a dialogue within myself. The other part is about the world at large.’’

She’s a traditionalist

Throughout the years, Merchant has worked with distinguished producers, including Peter Asher and T-Bone Burnett. But she opted to produce “Natalie Merchant’’ herself.

“I feel like I don’t want the extra person separating me from the music,’’ she says.

“I’m a traditionalist,’’ she continues. “These songs were recorded very live, with violins, violas, cellos. Rarely is there a guitar. It’s a very natural record.’’

In some ways, this approach is different from Merchant’s first recordings as the lead singer for the alt-rock band 10,000 Maniacs.

“I stumbled into this career at age 16,’’ says Merchant, a native of Jamestown, N.Y. “I began collaborating with the guys who became 10,000 Maniacs. When I was 19, we were signed to a major label.’’

The band was strongly influenced by folk-rock, particularly the seminal British group Fairport Convention. From the beginning, 10,000 Maniacs was hailed for its intricate arrangements and for Merchant’s plaintive vocals.

Songs such as “What’s the Matter Here?’’ and “These Are Days’’ earned the band a place on both mainstream and alternative charts. But commercial success was not Merchant’s priority.

“I was one of many,’’ she says. “I was one of a group that was all male. I felt I couldn’t speak for myself.’’

However, Merchant gradually asserted herself. She points with pride to the 1989 album “Blind Man’s Zoo,’’ particularly the song “Dust Bowl.’’

“That was when I finally figured out how to write a song,’’ she says. “It had condensed, meaningful lyrics. The melody was appropriate.’’

Like planting a garden

In 1993, Merchant embarked on a solo career, resulting in several noteworthy albums. She says that the title track of her 2001 album “Motherland’’ gives her the same gratification she received from writing “Dust Bowl.”

“When you plant a row in your garden or paint a picture, or do any creative act, you’re able to bring forth you vision,’’ Merchant says. “You get that sense of satisfaction.’’

After 2003, however, Merchant decided to concentrate on another creation: her daughter Lucia.

“I focused on community and family,’’ she says.

She did take time to release the 2010 album “Leave Your Sleep.’’ She took poems about childhood by the likes of Ogden Nash and e.e. cummings and set them to original music.

“But my own songs kept accumulating,’’ Merchant says. “Eventually, the music imploded. There were shards of it all over the studio.’’

Merchant feels that she is beginning a new phase of her career.

“I’m still making records. I still have an audience. I think I’m writing better. I’m putting forth my vision in a full, rich fashion.’’